It's possible if we want to.
It World Wildlife Fund (WWF) ) reports in its biennial “Living Planet Report” that around the world, the size of populations of wild mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish fell by an average of 69 percent between 1970 and 2018. The biggest decline was in tropical regions and fresh waters, especially in Latin America, by as much as 94 percent. Europe and Central Asia seem to be merciful with a decline of 'only' 18 percent, but that's a sham. “That's where the decline started well before 1970,” reports a WWF spokesperson.
'Dual emergency' The figures come from the “living planet index”, which follows changes in 32,000 populations of 5,230 animal species. The report “confirms that the planet is in the midst of a biodiversity and climate crisis,” the researchers write. We have “one last chance” to get out of this “double emergency”. “We need system-wide changes in how we produce and consume, the technology we use, and our economic and financial systems.”
The cause of the loss of biodiversity among animals are large-scale deforestation for agriculture, overfishing, poaching, pollution and construction of buildings and roads.
It is possible
Admittedly, there are regular successes; for example, the otter is back in the Netherlands. The wolf is also making a comeback. This week, it was announced that the Marker Wadden , a recently created group of islands in the Markermeer, has attracted 47 breeding birds and 170 plant species, including icy duck, dwarf gull and quail.
